Thursday, March 15, 2012

As Bob Apodaca told the guys on KOA before the game, it's time to stop looking at Nicasio as a comeback story because that story is pretty much complete. Now it's time to evaluate him as a pitcher, and as a pitcher, Nicasio was rock solid tonight allowing only one unearned run on three hits over four innings. The only little blemish or concern was his inability to put a handful of hitters away, which elevated his pitch count. But that's quite a minor thing at this stage. Overall a very impressive and encouraging outing.

Carlos Gonzalez

His first inning three-run home run off Josh Collmenter will get the attention, but I was happier to hear his RBI single off left-hander Wade Miley. The Rockies need CarGo to get back on track against southpaws in 2012, so any progress/success there is worth mentioning. Also, it's safe to assume he's going to keep the bat companies busy again after tonight's original piece of lumber was unable to survive the punishing contact of both hits.

Jonathan Herrera

Three more hits for the pesky utility man. Is it even worth mentioning anymore, or should we just assume Herrera is handling his business in March?

Misses

Matt Reynolds

Reynolds retired his first two batters on strikeouts and seemed primed for an easy night at the office. That was until Ryan Roberts blooped a single, Jason Kubel ripped a double, and Chris Young blooped a single of his own, leaving Reynolds with a quick two-spot. Not that Matt needed the reminder, but that third out can be a real big pain in the ass if you let it. Must close that door the first chance you get.

Brandon Wood

Wood has cooled off over the past couple days (0-for-7, three strikeouts, error), but he'll continue receiving opportunities as long as Casey Blake remains on the trainer's table. I'm still very much intrigued to see what Wood can offer, and maybe even more so now that he's taking a step or two backwards. How will he bounce back? Will he achieve some form of consistency? I guess we'll have to stay tuned.

Got Their Work In

Nolan Arenado

Typically a bases clearing double would be a sure hit, but Arenado also commited his third error on the spring, so I'll knock him down a peg. I don't think he'll mind. In fact, I think he'd probably agree with it.

Oh, yeah, and the score in case you're wondering

CarGo's home run set the pace early. Arenado's three-run double was the exclamation point. Rockies take it home 7-4.

What's next

The Rockies will take on the Cubs on Thursday with a 2:10 MT first pitch. The game will be streamed online at 850 KOA and mlb.com.